Flowers for the Women Wearing Veils - Volume I — Page 70
! ! 70 rupees he had, travel to Delhi, and sell his bull for four hundred rupees. From there, he could buy something else and go on to Ag h ra, where his four hundred rupees would fetch eight hundred rupees. He c ould then buy something in Ag h ra whi ch would sell for more in Peshawar and sell it there [in Pes hawar] to make sixteen hundred rupees. This situation [the Imam’s deliberations] were revealed to the pious elder through a vision. He discontinued his Salāt behind the Imam and began to offer it separately. After completing his Salāt , the Imam reprimanded him in a harsh manner, stating , “I t is a gr eat transgression and forbidden [to break away in the middle of Salāt ] ! ” The saint responded, “I am weak , and my legs are not very strong. I first tr aveled with you to Delhi. I thought, very well, if Imam Sahib is going , then I will go too. From there you travelled to Ag hra and I still accompanied you. However, when you prepared to leave Aghra for Peshawar, I broke my Salāt so that I could offer it myself. ” Upo n hearing this, the Imam was much embarrassed. Therefore, one should be careful about three things while offering Salāt : 1. To offer Salāt solely for God 2. Observe Salāt wholeheartedly 3. Along with offering the Fardh [obligatory ] Rak ‘ at , offer Sunnah [ Blessed practice /actions of the Holy Prophet] which bring s one closer to Allah. Sunnah Rak ‘ at must be offered. True recognition of God is achieved through n awafil [voluntary prayers]. These n awafil are a blessing and are f or our benefit alone. An example of this divine gift is that of one visiting another with a gift for his children. H e [the host] accepts it and t he guest is extremely grateful that the host has accepted the gift. The host then returns the favor by presenting him [ t he guest] with a gift. The purification and the benefit that Salāt provides is for none other than our own selves. In fact, God bestows us with even more rewards [as a result of our Salāt]. The most important amongst the n awafil prayers is Tahajjud [voluntary prayer observed before dawn]. Tahajjud is essential to overcome one’s ego. Women should offer this prayer j ust as men do. Ha z rat Muhammad sa has said, “When the man wakes at night , he should also awaken his wife [for the Tahajjud Prayer]. The one who is awake should sprinkle drops of water on the